1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a photocurable type liquid onto a medium.
2. Related Art
In the related art, an ink jet type printer that is provided with a liquid ejecting head that ejects UV curable type ink that is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays (hereinafter, also referred to as “UV” rays), and an irradiation unit that cures ink by irradiating a medium on which the ink has been ejected from the liquid ejecting head with UV light, is known as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus (for example, JP-A-2005-125513).
In addition, in this kind of printer, so-called flushing, which ejects ink from the liquid ejecting head as waste liquid on the basis of a control signal that is not related to printing, is performed as a kind of maintenance of the liquid ejecting head. As a liquid receiving portion that is used in flushing, for example, a liquid receiving portion that has a bottomed box-shape in which the upper part is open, is widely known, and there are also cases in which an absorber, which is capable of absorbing ink, is accommodated inside the liquid receiving portion. Additionally, as one example, among regions in which the liquid ejecting head reciprocates in a main scanning direction, the liquid receiving portion is disposed next to a printing region, in which ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting head onto a medium, which is transported in a sub-scanning direction that is perpendicular to the main scanning direction.
Further, a control device of the printer moves the liquid ejecting head to a position that opposes the liquid receiving portion, and performs flushing toward the liquid receiving portion from the liquid ejecting head when it is determined that a condition for executing flushing has been established. When flushing is executed, ink that is ejected from the liquid ejecting head as waste liquid and received in the liquid receiving portion either evaporates as time passes or is discharged to a waste ink tank from an ink discharge outlet that is formed in the bottom portion of the liquid receiving portion.
Given that, in a case in which ink is ejected onto a medium for printing after flushing has finished, the liquid ejecting head moves from a previous position that opposes the liquid receiving portion to a printing region, which is a position that opposes the medium. Further, when the liquid ejecting head ejects ink onto the medium in the printing region, the irradiation unit irradiates the medium with UV light in the printing region.
However, in such a case, a portion of the UV light, which is irradiated in the printing region toward the medium from the irradiation unit may be incident upon the liquid receiving portion that is disposed next to the printing region as leaked light from the printing region. Therefore, deposits may be formed in the liquid receiving portion or clogging may occur in the ink discharge outlet as a result of ink (in particular, ink that is cured with relative ease) that is received in the liquid receiving portion being cured by the abovementioned leaked light. Therefore, there is a concern that the maintenance function of the liquid receiving portion will be reduced. Additionally, the technical problem that is outlined above is not limited to printers that eject UV curable type ink, and is a general problem that is common to liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject photocurable type liquid.